Stark High
by whoperhero
Summary: Hey, you know those new superheroes? The children of the Avengers? My name is Laura Lakes, and I'm one of them. If you want to know who we are, what powers we have, and why Joe is totally not my boyfriend, click here.
1. Stark High

**Stark High**

I look out the window as New York City passes by. My mom and I moved here recently because of her new job. That's my family, just the two of us. My dad left before I was born, or at least that's what my mom says. Anyways, New York is looking pretty good. Most of the buildings are now repaired or have been replaced with new ones. Only the occasional damage gives any indication of the battle that took place here sixteen years ago.

The school bus screeches to a stop, causing me to turn my attention to the sight in front of me. A new town means a new school, more specifically, Stark High. I look forward in anticipation. Because Stark High isn't just any school, it's where Liberty and Sam go.

For those of you who have been living in a cave or something (like, hel-LO it's 2028! Where have you been?), Liberty and Sam are, like, major celebrities. Liberty Rogers is the daughter of Captain America who, like him, has super-soldier powers. Samuel Thorson, who goes by the superhero name of Shocker, is the son of Thor, and has the same powers as Thor, although to a lesser degree. Still, both of them are training to become the next generation of superheroes. And both of them go to my school.

I get off the bus and head towards school, stopping briefly to look at a plaque. _This school was founded from the generous donation of Mr. Anthony _**(I don't know his middle name)**_ Stark. _I snort at how formal his name sounds all spelled out, especially considering that YouTube video I saw recently of him dancing like a robot in his Iron Man suit at some party, then falling over because he got drunk. It's nice that he founded a school though.

Stark High is, for the most part, just an ordinary public school. Yet, walking down the hall, I notice a few differences from my last school, like a fancy computer lab, courtesy of Tony Stark. I also notice, that, like my last school, everyone is more or less normal. I mean, I don't know what I expected. Liberty and Sam greeting me while reporters comment on our every word? No, this school is definitely normal. In fact, it's almost boring.

A bell ringing reminds me that there is probably somewhere I am supposed to be. Looking around, I realize that everyone else has a piece of paper with their schedule on it. I guess because I'm a new student, someone forgot to give me one. Since I am right next to a door marked "Office," I decide to ask for my schedule.

Upon my entering, a secretary looks up from her work. "Yes?"

"Hi, it's my first day, so I was wondering if you have my schedule or something?" I ask.

The secretary looks at me. "What's your name?"

"Laura Lakes," I reply.

The secretary rummages around for a bit, then smiles as she finds what she is looking for. "There you are," she says, handing me my schedule. "Have a nice first day."

I smile. "Thank you," I say, then leave the office.

I look at my schedule and find my homeroom number. I am about to head there, when something catches my attention. In the school nurse's room, which is next to the office, two guys are arguing. And one of them sounds strangely familiar…

Slowly, I approach the door, trying to make as little noise as possible. Now, I don't want you to get the wrong idea. I get good grades, don't do drugs, and don't have unsafe sex (or a boyfriend for that matter.) But that doesn't mean I don't like to have fun, and listening in on people is harmless enough. And in this case, since everyone else is in class, it's easy enough to do.

"I'm not kidding, he zapped me!" one of the guys complains.

The guy whose voice sounds familiar chuckles. "You wish! You're just trying to get me suspended from football so you can be quarterback!"

Suddenly, the familiar voice clicks. Because he's the famous quarterback of the Stark Cyborgs football team, Sam Thorson!

I smile. It seems today might be interesting after all.

** AN: Hello :) This chapter basically just sets up the story. The next chapter is where you get to meet all of the young heroes (although you won't know who they are! Suspense!), and the third chapter will be full of action! **


	2. Stark High Students

**Stark High Students**

Today is amazing! Why, do you ask? Well, because I am currently listening to the super famousSamuel Thorson! Well… technically I'm eavesdropping on a conversation he's having with someone else. But before you judge me, you should know that I think superheroes are awesome, and since Sam is the first person with superpowers I've ever met, this is super exciting for me.

The nurse sighs. "I have another student to attend to right now. I'll be back in a minute." I hear her footsteps fade away, then Sam's voice:

"Why'd you tell on me? It was just a little jolt, don't be such a baby!"

I raise an eyebrow. Apparently, the heroic Sam isn't quite as heroic as he appears.

At this point, I'm paying so much attention to their conversation that I don't notice somebody is right behind me. I flinch when someone taps me on the shoulder.

"Laura Lakes?" A voice asks. I nod at the ground, sure I'm in trouble, until I realize who it is. "Liberty Rogers?"

Liberty nods quickly, her blond ponytail swooshing across the back of her red "Go Cyborgs!" t-shirt, then exclaims "Where were you?!"

I don't know what she means, so I come up with the super-intelligent response of "Huh?"

"You were supposed to meet me at my locker before school started so that I could show you around the school."

"Wait, what?" I ask, still confused. When Liberty glares at me, I reply "No one told me."

Liberty sighs. "Whatever. I had to miss half of first period looking for you, which is totally going to hurt my 4.0 GPA. Let's just get this over with." And with that, she does something between a walk and a jog around the building, hastily pointing out various rooms as we pass, such as "gym," and "lunchroom", and ending with my first period class.

I felt bad for making Liberty miss some class, so I thought I'd say thanks. "Thanks for showing me around and stuff. You didn't have to."

"Actually, as leader of student council, I do," Liberty says.

"Oh," I reply. "Well, if student council is stressing you out too much, why don't you quit?"

"I can't," Liberty replies, smiling sadly. Then, before I know it, she's hurrying off to class.

I sigh. Sam being a bully and Liberty being all bossy and stressed-out were not what I was expecting. Plus, I'm starting to miss my friends from my old school. But there's no point in standing around in the hall moping. I open the door to my first class, hoping there will be someone nice I can talk to.

First period is my art class, so when I sit down next to a girl with brown bangs nearly covering her eyes, I see that she is drawing flowers. Very realistic flowers, now that I look at them.

"I like your drawing," I say.

The girl smiles shyly. "Thank you. I like your outfit."

I look down at my outfit, which consists of a black, long-sleeved shirt, navy blue skinny jeans, and black shoes. I like dark clothing, because it goes well with my straight, black hair and brown eyes. My pale skin is the only thing that seems out of place.

"Thanks," I reply. "I'm Laura. What's your name?"

"I'm Anne," Anne replies. She is wearing a green t-shirt with a butterfly design on it, blue jeans with stylish fades, and brown shoes.

I would have kept talking to Anne longer, but just then, the teacher comes over and explains to me how to do the assignment that I'm supposed to be doing. I start working, and before I know it, it's the end of class. "See you tomorrow," I say, smiling at Anne. "See you," she smiles back.

My second class is in the fancy computer lab that I saw earlier. I get a bit lost trying to find it, and slide in just as the bell rings. Unfortunately, the only seat available is between two guys, one of whom looks like he's in a bad mood. Stifling a sigh, I force myself to sit between them.

The teacher starts talking really fast about what we're supposed to do, then tells us to try the coding that she just explained. I've never done coding before, and it appears that I am quite bad at it. After messing up for the third time, I sneak a glance over at the guy to my right. He is cheerfully typing away. I try to see how his screen is different from mine, when he grins at me. Nervous that he knows I'm cheating, I look in the opposite direction, at the guy to my left's screen. He has stopped looking angry, and instead has fallen asleep. I roll my eyes.

"Yeah, he does that a lot," the guy to my right pipes up. "I swear he's a vampire or something. Sleeps all day."

I laugh. "Sounds like the troublemaker type."

The guy shrugs. "Actually, not so much. He doesn't get in trouble that I know of. He's better than I am at coding too, and that's saying something! But he sleeps so much he's almost failing this class."

"Oh," I shrug. "That's weird."

"Yeah." The guy raises an eyebrow. "You know what else is weird? The way you were staring at my computer screen like it has the secret meaning of life or something."

I blush. "More like the secret to passing this class."

The guy laughs. "Well, why didn't you say so? Here, scoot your chair over, so I can see what you're stuck on."

I smile. "Really? Thanks!"

"No problem," the guy replies. "I'm way ahead anyways."

I roll my eyes at how great he seems to think he is, but for some reason, I can't help smiling. He really is good at coding though, and before I know it, I'm caught up. "Thanks for helping," I tell him.

"Glad I could," he replies. Just then, the bell rings. The guy stretches. "Well, I better get going. Name's Joe by the way."

"I'm Laura," I reply.

"Cool." Joe nods, then saunters away.

I catch myself staring off into space and smiling. With a frown, I head down the hall to look for my next class. I just realize it's completely on the other side of the school, when some kid runs past me dressed in a black uniform. I frown. I mean, Halloween is cool and all, but seriously? It's like two months early! I turn around for a second glance and freeze. Because he isn't some kid in a Halloween costume, he's an adult!

After my brief _Oh shit!_ moment, I come to my senses and run away. I recognize the uniform as being a Hydra uniform. What some Hydra guy is doing at school is a mystery to me. Maybe trying to rob it? Do schools even have money lying around? Then I realize I've just had a _duh_ moment. Liberty and Sam! This guy probably wants to start a fight with them or something.

Just as I realize this, I hear a scream. Sprinting around a corner, I see the scream came from Liberty. She is surrounded by Hydra people, but that's not the reason she screamed. I stifle a scream myself as I see the source of her terror. Standing in front of Liberty, a flesh-colored mask dangling from his hand, is Red Skull!

Remember when I said my day was boring? Right now, I really, really wish it was boring. Because this is freekin' terrifying!

**AN: So Laura, the four teenagers that she talked to, and the "sleepy vampire guy" are the children of the Avengers. Well, some of their children. I wanted there to be six of them like in the current Avengers, but it would be really strange if they all had exactly one kid. My excuse is that their other kids aren't high school age. Anyways, I'd like to see if I'm doing a good job keeping up the mystery of who everyone's parents are (well, besides Liberty and Sam), so here's a little challenge. If you think you know which teenagers have what Avenger parents, post it in a review. Any winners… get to be right, lol. I'm bad at coming up with fun imaginary rewards. So yeah. Also, feel free to let me know what you like/ don't like about the story. **


	3. Hydra vs Highschoolers

**Hydra vs. Highschoolers**

Miraculously, even though some Hydra agents turned their heads as I came running around the corner, they quickly turn their attention back to Red Skull. Apparently, they don't think a skinny sixteen-year-old girl is much of a threat. And they're right. I hardly ever exercise and have never been in a fight. So the odds of me stopping Red Skull? When pigs can fly.

Liberty, on the other hand, isn't giving up so easily. "What do you want?" she says after her initial shock.

"Liberty Rogers, daughter of Captain America," Red Skull sneers.

Liberty crosses her arms and glares at him. "My father stopped you before. He can stop you again."

Red Skull laughs evilly. "Your father is currently distracted by my other Hydra agents. He won't make it here in time to stop me from kidnapping you. And once you're hidden away in my secret base and surrounded by Hydra agents, there is no way he will be able to rescue you. The only way he can get you back is if he agrees to let me rule the world! Muhahahaha!"

I groan. Why do villains always go off on a boring monologue about their plans to rule the world? It's, like, majorly boring, plus knowing their plans makes it easier to stop them.

Liberty narrows her eyes. "Well then, I guess I'll just have to stop you myself."

Red Skull laughs. "You, fight me? You're a woman. You can't possibly fight."

Liberty glares at him. "Wow, you really are from the 40's." Then she punches him in the face.

"Yeah! That'll show him!" I cheer. Red Skull glares at Liberty, blood dripping from his nose. The look on his face is priceless. "But… how… but you're a woman!" Liberty rolls her eyes.

The way Liberty punched Red Skull in the face was, like, majorly awesome! I wish I was stronger so I could punch him as well.

Liberty continues on with her fight, kicking one of Red Skull's knees, which causes him to swear, hop up and down on one foot, and basically look really stupid.

I pump my fist in the air as a way of cheering on Liberty. Suddenly, there is a noise like lots of air rushing past me, and my fist punches Red Skull in the jaw.

Wait, what?!

Red Skull looks as stunned as I do. Then he glares at me. "SHIT!" I yell, wishing I could get away, then suddenly, with another _whoosh_, I find myself all the way down at the other end of the hallway.

_Is this really happening? _I think to myself. Looking around to see if anyone is coming after me, I happen to catch my reflection in a mirror inside someone's locker that has been left open. I briefly glance at my frightened-looking face, my black, shoulder-length hair that is now sticking out in all directions, and the blue tinge to my skin, then I turn my attention back to the fight. Then, with a gasp, I look back at the mirror. _BLUE SKIN?!_ Yet when I look again, my skin is its usual slightly-paler-than-average peachy color.

_Okay, it's official. I'm going insane,_ I think to myself, just as a guy wearing an Iron Man-like mask and robot gloves sprints down the hall yelling some sort of battle cry. I watch as he aims his hands at Red Skull, his robot gloves glow brighter and brighter… and nothing happens.

Then, as if that wasn't weird enough, another guy comes running down the hall with a bow and arrows strapped to his back, his face concealed by a hoodie that reads: _This is my Awesome Hoodie!_ "Yo dude, you suck!" the teen yells at Red Skull. "We don't want you here, go back to the 40's!"

Red Skull scowls and is about to say something, but before he has a chance, the teenager shoots an arrow at Red Skull that turns into a net, effectively trapping him. Fortunately, this means Red Skull can't hurt anyone at the moment. Unfortunately, this causes his thirty or so Hydra followers to stop being lazy and fight us.

As the Hydra agents crowd in, Liberty starts punching and kicking them with her super strength. This works well at first, but by the time ten Hydra agents start fighting her at once, I can see her start to tire.

Fortunately, she is not alone. I see the iron teen start tinkering with his robot gloves. He aims at a Hydra agent, his gloves start to glow… and then the charge shoots backwards and iron teen electrocutes himself. I wince as he cries out in pain.

The hooded archer is having a bit more luck. He is shooting arrows at the Hydra agents that, when successful, are knocking the agents out. Unfortunately, he only has a few of these arrows, and quickly runs out. He looks around in confusion for a few seconds, before walking away from the fight. Apparently, he can't fight very well without his arrows.

I have just turned my attention back to Liberty, when suddenly someone grabs me from behind! Shit! I was so amazed at how well the other teenagers were fighting that I stopped paying attention to my own safety!

"I saw you teleport earlier," the Hydra agent holding me captive says. "Liberty may be our main target, but I'm sure we can learn much from experimenting on you."

Panicking, I wish I could get away, and find myself outside the school. I consider running away, then I pause. _Wait a minute, I have a superpower! Maybe I should use it. After all, metal moron and bird-brain aren't much help, and even Liberty can't fight off thirty men by herself. Maybe I could help._ So, with that crazy plan, I go back to help.

I picture the hallway I was in and manage to teleport back there. _Cool, I'm starting to control my powers! _I think to myself. Then I realize I am back within grabbing distance of the Hydra agent. Concentrating, I try to teleport behind him, but instead end up on the ceiling above him. "CRAP!" I yell as I fall on top of him. _Ok, so maybe I don't have control of my powers. At least the Hydra guy seems more hurt than I am. That's a plus. _In fact, as I look at the Hydra agent, I realize he has been knocked unconscious. _Major plus!_

Unfortunately, some of the other Hydra agents notice this, two of which are coming at me from opposite directions. I wait until they are right next to me, then teleport away. The Hydra agents are unable to stop in time, and end up crashing into each other.

_This is too easy! _I think to myself. Then I realize that, in fact, it isn't. While I've been managing to trick the Hydra agents so far, a lot more are coming my way. And for some reason, I'm now majorly tired. Apparently, using powers is as tiring as exercising. And considering I don't do much of that, all this teleporting is getting majorly exhausting.

As the Hydra agents run towards me, I look around desperately for help. The teen with the robot gloves apparently gave up as well, as it is now just Liberty fighting the Hydra agents.

Then out of the corner of my eye, I notice Anne from art class. She is peeking out of a doorway and biting her lip, like she wants to do something, but is too scared. I can't look for long though, as the Hydra agents have almost reached me. I teleport away and look back at Anne just in time to see her go back inside the room with tears streaming down her cheeks.

I don't have time to feel bad for her. I'm majorly exhausted now, and as I am forced to teleport yet again, all I can feel is my lungs burning. But I have to keep going. After all, there's no one around to save me.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO LIBS?!" Sam yells from all the way down the hall. "BECAUSE IF YOU THINK I'LL LET YOU HURT HER, YOU'RE IN FOR A SHOCKER!"

Despite being tired, I manage to roll my eyes. I've seen recordings of Liberty and Sam fighting on the news, so I know that Sam has an annoying habit of using his superhero name, Shocker, in as many corny ways as possible while fighting. It's, like, majorly annoying. I vaguely wonder if "Libs" is his nickname for Liberty, but I'm too exhausted to really concentrate.

As I wearily prepare to teleport for what may be the last time, Sam does something less annoying. He raises a small talisman in the shape of a lightning bolt that is on a string around his neck. He raises his muscular arm, his blond hair falling back as he turns his face skyward. There is a blinding light that causes me to squeeze my eyes shut. When I open them again, all of the Hydra agents that hadn't already been knocked unconscious by Liberty and the archer (and in one case, me) are now unconscious!

I think that's pretty amazing, until I notice that Sam has fainted as well. I shrug. Still, pretty awesome! If only Sam wasn't so full of himself, I might actually tell him that.

Although, right now, I'm too tired to tell anyone anything. Now that my Hydra-induced adrenaline rush is over, I feel the full extent of my exhaustion. My knees buckle, and I fall to the floor.

I lay on the floor for several minutes catching my breath. Then a hand reaches out to help me up. I take it gratefully, looking up into the eyes of… "Captain America?!"


	4. Aftermath

**Aftermath**

** AN: Mentions of past Romanogers! It won't play a big part in this story, but it will be mentioned from time to time.**

"Are you ok?" Captain America asks, looking concerned.

"Yeah," I reply, still kind of startled.

"I did a full sweep of the school. All Hydra agents are neutralized," Iron Man says, touching down next to us.

Captain America nods. "Alright, go ahead and tell Fury the school is safe. I'll look for Liberty."

"Aww, can't Barton do it? I just searched the whole school!" Tony Stark whines.

"Hey, you heard the man. Captain's orders," Hawkeye teases. I can't see Tony's face under the suit, but I imagine him rolling his eyes.

"I am glad we do not require the Hulk-beast," Thor says, looking at the unconscious Hydra agents.

"You and me both," Bruce Banner agrees.

I look around in awe as I realize that all the Avengers are right in front of me! All five of them. There used to be a sixth, but Black Widow, aka Natasha Romanov, was killed thirteen years ago by an enemy spy. To this day, no one knows who the enemy spy was. The Avengers freaked out for a bit, worrying that the spy would try to kill them too, but the spy never did. Everyone was really sad as well. Natasha Romanov may have had a dark past, but she was an ally and close friend of the Avengers. And for Steve Rogers, she was more than that. Steve was devastated that his wife died, and Liberty had to grow up without a mom.

Speaking of which, "Liberty!" Steve Rogers yells, seeing his daughter and running over to her. "Dad!" Liberty cheers, happy that he's safe as well. "I was worried about you," Steve says, giving his daughter a hug. Liberty looks embarrassed. "Dad, I can take care of myself." Steve smiles. "I know. You had the best trainer, after all," he says, winking at her.

"How sentimental," a voice drawls.

Steve looks around, then inhales sharply. "Johun Schmitt," he whispers. Red Skull glares at him from on the floor, where he is still trapped in a net.

Liberty, noticing her dad looks a bit pale, taps him on the shoulder. "It's ok dad. I totally beat him. Well, me and that arrow guy."

"Wait, Joe was involved in this?!" Clint Barton asks. Apparently he's been listening in on their conversation.

"S'up?" a guy asks. I see it's the guy with the "Awesome Hoodie" from before.

"Jo-ames! James! Can I speak with you for a minute?" he asks, motioning him farther away where Red Skull can't hear. The arrow teen shrugs and walks away with Clint, who I am guessing is his dad.

Turning my attention away from them, I see Thor congratulating a still-unconscious Sam for defeating his enemies, while the school nurse tries to revive him.

Losing interest in them, I look around and notice Anne peeking out of her classroom again. I look away and notice that Bruce is looking around as well. I watch as he gazes around, and am surprised when he seems to recognize Anne. He opens his mouth to say something, but Anne frantically shakes her head no. Bruce sighs and looks away. _That's strange, _I think to myself.

I look away again, and my gaze travels to Iron Man. I notice that, in the doorway behind him, is the teen with the robot helmet and gloves. I can't tell what his expression is under the helmet, but from the way he's standing, he looks angry. As Tony Stark assures teachers that the school is now safe, thanks to him, the teen angrily stomps away.

I can't help but wonder, with tech like that, if the teen is related to Tony somehow. Yet the teen didn't seem to like Tony much, and Tony didn't seem concerned about searching for him the way the other Avengers searched for their kids. _I wonder…_

"Laura! Laura! Has anyone seen my daughter?!" a frantic woman asks. _Wait a minute!_

"Mom?"

"Oh Laura!" my mom says, running over and hugging me. "Sweetie, I was so worried about you! I heard the school got attacked! Are you all right?"

"I'm fine mom."

"Are you sure?" my mom asks, still really worried.

"Totally." Out of the corner of my eye, I see Liberty start walking over like she wants to talk to me.

"Alright, well I have to sign you out at the office. Why don't you tell me what happened on the way?"

"Wait, sign me out?"

"The school is closed for the rest of the day. I'm taking you home."

"Uh, ok. Could you just wait a sec?"

My mom's eyes widen "Leave you? After your school got attacked? Oh no, I'm not letting you out of my sight!"

"Mom! You're embarrassing me!" I complain, worried that the Avengers or Liberty will make fun of me. "I'll just be a sec," I promise as I sprint away, hoping whatever Liberty wants to talk to me about really will be quick.

"What's up?" I ask Liberty in as calm a voice as I can manage. Now that things have finally calmed down, I've just started thinking about the fact that I HAVE POWERS! I figure whatever Liberty wants to talk about has to do with that, and considering I just discovered my powers, I don't know what to say.

"Well, I couldn't help noticing how you punched Red Skull, then disappeared. I was wondering what that was about."

"Oh." I shrug. "Um, it was kind of an accident really. I'm glad I did though. I wanted to help you guys."

Liberty smiles. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." I smile back.

"The reporters will probably be here soon. Do you want me to say anything about you? Maybe what your superhero name is, or where your powers came from?"

_Oh. Wow. _"Um, actually, I don't know. I mean, I just found out that I have powers today. I really don't know where they came from, and I'm not even sure I want to fight crime or anything."

Liberty glares at me. "You don't know if you want to fight crime?! Powers are a gift, not something to be taken for granted! People could die because you weren't there to save them!"

"What the hell!" I yell back. "Like, EXCUSE ME for not wanting to get killed fighting a supervillain! I almost died today! I need some time to think about whether I want to do this or not," I reply, glaring at Liberty.

Liberty glares back. "You said 'I' an awful lot in that sentence. Real heroes put others above themselves.

Liberty and I are glaring at each other, when my mom walks over. "Alright, I signed you out. We can leave now." Then she notices our glares. "Everything alright?" she asks.

"Fine," I grumble, walking away quickly.

My mom tries to question me as we walk to her car, but now that the excitement of seeing the Avengers has worn off, I once again feel worn out. I sit down in the car, and it is only a matter of seconds before I fall asleep.


	5. Learning about Superheroes

**Learning about Superheroes**

** AN: This chapter mentions a few X-Men characters. This story technically takes place in the Marvel universe, so any Marvel characters may be mentioned. However, they probably won't show up in this story unless I run out of ideas.**

I wake up as the car pulls into our driveway. "Wakey-wakey, sleepyhead," my mom teases. I groan. My mom frowns. "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, I'm just really tired," I reply.

"Because if you got hurt in the school takeover…"

"Can we talk about this later? I really want to sleep."

"Well, ok," my mom says, biting her lip. _Finally!_ I head upstairs to my room, and am soon fast asleep.

When I wake up, my alarm clock reads one in the morning. _Wow, I was really tired! _I think to myself. Unfortunately, I seem to be caught up on sleep now, as I am wide awake. I decide to start on my homework for the two classes I had. I'm not sure if it will be due tomorrow or not, but I like to be prepared. Also, even if it's not, it will probably be due the next day.

I finish my homework and look at the time. Three A.M. Lovely. Since I am still wide awake, I decide to do what I really wanted to do instead of my homework: practice my powers. I sit down on my bed and concentrate on teleporting from my bed to the floor. I get the distance right, but forget that my bed is higher than the floor, and end up falling on my butt the extra distance.

Wincing, I stand up and try to teleport to the end of my room next to the door. This time, I get the height right, but the distance is too far. I end up on the other side of the door outside my room. It's annoying enough that I messed up, but it also causes me to realize something else: _I could have ended up INSIDE the door!_ I don't know what would happen if I teleported inside an object, and I don't want to find out.

_Maybe I shouldn't use my powers anymore,_ I think, fear getting the better of me. _Besides, I'm really tired anyways. _It's true. After using my powers again, the tiredness comes back. I climb into bed, fall asleep, and am immediately woken up again by my alarm clock, or so it seems. "Ugh!" I groan, my beeping alarm clock reading 5:45 A.M. "Why does my school bus have to come so early?!" I stumble out of bed, get dressed, have breakfast, and manage to catch my 6:45 school bus.

I manage to make it to class on time, and, with a yawn, slide into the seat next to Anne. Glancing over, I see that she has already finished the flower project that is due Friday, and is instead starting to paint a horse. "Hey," I say, smiling at her.

"Hey," she replies, smiling as well, but it isn't a very big smile. I remember then that she saw me fighting Hydra agents when she peered out the doorway. Could she be afraid of my powers?

"Is everything alright?" I ask her. "I can sit somewhere else if you want."

Anne looks startled, like the idea hadn't occurred to her. "No, you're fine. It's just… a problem of mine. I don't want to bother you with it."

"You aren't bothering me," I reply. "Go ahead, spill."

Anne looks around nervously. "I really shouldn't."

Of course, this only makes me more curious. "Anne, you seem like a nice person. I don't mind helping you. And I won't make fun of you, I promise."

Anne starts playing with a bracelet she's wearing like she's considering. She takes a deep breath. "Ok, but you have to promise not to tell anyone."

"Ok," I reply, before realizing that I maybe shouldn't have agreed so quickly. What if it's something serious, like her parents robbed a bank or something?

Taking another deep breath, Anne says, "You know that fight yesterday?"

"Yeah?"

Anne leans in closer. "Maybe I could have helped with that."

"Oh," I reply. Then I realize what she means. "Wait, you have—"

Anne's eyes widen, and I realize that, in my excitement, I started raising my voice. "…powers?" I whisper in her ear.

Anne nods, while staring at the floor.

"That's great!" I reply.

"No it isn't," Anne replies, looking like she is about to cry.

I'm confused. "How come? Powers are awesome!"

"Not my type of power," she whispers.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean my dad is Bruce Banner."

"Oh, that's coo—"I start to say, before I realize what she means. "So, um, do you have the same… powers as him?"

Anne nods at the ground again.

"Oh." I'm not really sure what to say. Then Anne starts to cry, and I feel terrible. I realize then that I should have told her I don't care if she can turn into a monster or whatever, that she's a cool friend. But it's too late now. The teacher sends Anne to the school guidance counselor, and I spend the rest of art class feeling miserable.

I'm still feeling miserable and tired when it comes time for coding class. The fact that the guy to my left is already asleep even though class hasn't started yet isn't helping.

"Whoa! It's vampire number two!" Joe says.

"Huh?" I reply, too busy sulking to realize he was looking at me.

"You have dark circles under your eyes," Joe replies.

"Wow. Thanks so much for pointing that out to me," I grumble.

Joe laughs, then turns away to start his coding.

Then I realize something. "Wait a minute, Joe?!"

"S'up?" he replies. That confirms it.

"You're that arrow guy!" I exclaim.

Joe grins. "Joe Barton at your service!" he says, bowing ridiculously, which makes me laugh. "I'm the guy who defeated Red Skull with my net of awesomeness!" He pauses. "Although, you weren't bad yourself, appearing out of nowhere to trip the bad guys up, then disappearing into thin air with your ninja moves."

I find myself laughing and possibly blushing at the same time! _Am I blushing? I really hope I'm not blushing! HELP! _"I wouldn't call accidently falling on top of a Hydra agent 'ninja moves.' I can barely even control my teleporting powers."

Joe's eyes widen. "You have powers? Way cool! That definitely makes you a ninja!"

I start to roll my eyes at his persistence on calling me a ninja, then stop. _Wait a minute! _I think back to yesterday, when Liberty asked me what my superhero name was. _What if I call myself Ninja? After all, I really like __Naruto__, and the fact that I wear mostly black would help me blend into the shadows and whatnot._

"Do you think my superhero name should be Ninja?" I blurt out. Immediately, I feel stupid. First of all, I'm still not entirely sure I want to fight crime. Second of all, I barely know Joe, and third, he's kind of cute. _Shit! He probably thinks that's the dumbest superhero name ever! I mean, I'm not even Japanese or anything. _

Joe smiles. "Sounds great! My superhero name is G Wiz by the way. It's short for 'Gadget Wizard.' In case you haven't noticed, I'm good with tech."

Once again, I roll my eyes at how great he thinks he is, yet, once again, I can't help smiling.

I find myself disappointed when class is over. My next class is a really boring history class. As my teacher rambles on, I find myself wondering about where my powers come from. _Could I be a mutant? I mean, I never did anything obvious to get my powers, like swimming in radioactive slime or anything. Being a mutant would make the most sense. After all, I never met my dad or anythin—_

"Laura, could you repeat back to me what I just said?"

I stifle a groan. "Um, something about President Johnson?"

My teacher frowns. "That is only a small part of what I was saying. I know you just moved here, but I expect you to pay attention."

I hang my head. "Sorry."

_Hmm,_ I think to myself, now in math class. _What mutants do I know of that can teleport? Oh shit! Nightcrawler! I mean, I suppose he's nice enough, since he's an X-Man, but he's just so creepy looking! Then again, it's not fair to judge him just based on his looks. I mean, I wouldn't want people to judge me—_

"Ms. Lakes, will you write the quadratic formula on the board for us?"

_Uh oh! I'm terrible at math!_

After majorly messing up the formula, I realize that I needed to start paying attention. I can worry about my powers when I get home. I get through my next class, lunch, where I find some nice girls to sit with only to find out that we have nothing in common after talking for a bit, and another class.

Then comes my last class of the day: AP English Literature. The "AP" stands for "Advanced Placement." It's a high school class that doubles as college credit. It's also really hard. I walk into the classroom, and who do I see, but Liberty Rogers. As usual, it took me forever to find the class, and the last seat available is next to her. I don't really want to sit next to her after she accused me of being selfish, but I have no choice. Fortunately, the teacher goes over the syllabus for the whole class period, meaning I don't have to talk to Liberty. Unfortunately, our teacher mentions that the seats we chose today are now our assigned seats, and that we will be doing a lot of group work with the people next to us. Even though I like writing, I start to dread the class, and am glad when the bell rings, signaling the end of the school day.

Happily, I head to my locker, pack my backpack, and head to the band room. _Yeah! Time for marching band!_ It's a nice day out, and it turns out my band director, Mr. Ranch, is really nice. And to top it all off, Anne is there as well! Then I remember that Anne probably hates me, and my mood falls. I hurry up and put my clarinet together, hoping I can get a chance to talk to her before practice starts. I finish with my clarinet, walk over to her… and Mr. Ranch calls us to attention. _Drat! I'll have to apologize to her some other time._

To make matters worse, the routine this marching band does is a lot harder than what we were doing at my old school. When Mr. Ranch tells us our pregame tomorrow night (My school had their first day on a Wednesday, because we're weird) will be filmed by a local news station, I start to panic! I feel relieved when practice ends. _Time to go home and relax!_


	6. Nightmare

**Nightmare**

** AN: Disclaimer: I do not own the Avengers. The characters in this story are mostly based on my imagination. Any similarities to people alive or dead is coincidental. **

After catching a ride with some band member whose parents don't work as late as mine, I finally arrive home. All I want to do is relax, but it's not long until my mom comes home and starts questioning me. "How was school today?"

I shrug. "It was alright."

"Are your classes going well? Did you make any new friends?" My mom asks, trying to get me to talk more.

"Yeah, classes are alright. I met someone who seems nice," I say, thinking of Anne. Whether she would want to be my friend after I acted so stupid remains to be seen.

"And what happened yesterday?" my mom asks.

I tense. This is what I was both hoping and dreading to talk about.

"Wellll," I begin, "I was on my way to class when I saw some guy in a uniform running down the hall. Then I saw a bunch more guys and Red Skull trying to kidnap Liberty!"

"YOU WERE CLOSE ENOUGH TO SEE THEM?!" My mom screams. "YOU COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!"

I swallow, unsure how to word what I want to say next. "Mom… was my dad… different at all?"

My mom glares at me. "I thought we agreed never to talk about that cheating, lying son-of-a-bitch!" She frowns. "And what do you mean by 'different?' Did something happen?" she asks, watching my face closely.

I was going to tell my mom I have powers, I really was. My mom and I usually get along well, and I feel like I can tell her anything. Yet something about the way she was watching my face like a hawk watching its prey made me nervous. I felt like if I admitted to having powers, I'd be a goner. Like, she'd kick me out of the house or something. Why I thought this, I don't know. Like I said, my mom is usually nice.

I open my mouth to tell my mom about my powers, but instead find myself saying, "When I saw all those powerful Hydra agents, I was worried they might kill me. That got me thinking about things I don't usually think about, like my dad." I sigh. "Sorry for bringing him up. I know how much it upsets you."

My mom's face softens. "Oh, my poor girl! I'm sorry for getting upset. You've been through a lot yesterday. In fact, I know today is one of your nights for washing the dishes, but how about I clean them instead?"

I force a smile. "Thanks, mom."

My mom smiles. "You're welcome. You shouldn't have to do chores after what you've been through. Just relax."

"Thanks again," I say, making sure to smile convincingly even though my heart is breaking. I mean, I have friends from my old school that I can talk to about my problems, but I always felt like I could talk to my mom, so suddenly finding I can't is hard for me. Also, I don't usually lie.

I whiz through my homework, then go to bed early. I'm still worn out from using my powers at three in the morning.

That night, I have a dream that I'm climbing a hill. It looks like an easy hill to climb, but as I start to walk up, it keeps getting taller and taller, until it's a full-blown mountain! For some reason, I really want to get to the top though, so I keep climbing. Then the air gets cold, and there's ice on the mountain, but I keep going. Suddenly, Nightcrawler appears out of nowhere, and I scream and fall off the mountain!

I wake up with a start, confused for a few seconds, until I realize it was just a dream. Then I frown as I realize that, while the mountain and Nightcrawler are gone, the icy chill remains. _Strange…._ I walk over to the window and find that it's closed, just like I left it. A quick check of the vents reveals that the air conditioning is off as well. _So why does my room feel below freezing?_

As I look around further for the source of the cold, I happen to glance in the mirror. "AAAAAAH!" I scream, _because my skin is freakin' blue! _At first, I start freaking out because I think I have frostbite from my room being so cold. Yet as I dare to take another look, I realize that there's this weird sort of design on my skin, and that my eyes are red. As far as I know, frostbite wouldn't cause that. Now that I think about it, I do remember my skin looking slightly blue when I was fighting the Hydra agents. _Could this have something to do with using my powers?_

I start to panic again. _What if I always look this way from now on? Isn't that what happened to Beast? Oh gosh! I really don't want to look this way all the time. I mean, it would be cool for Halloween, but the rest of the year—_

"Laura! I heard you screaming! Are you alright?" my mom asks, pounding on my door.

_Shit!_ "I'm fine mom," I reply, trying to sound calm. At least my voice hasn't changed along with my appearance.

"You've been acting strangely since the attack. You know you can talk to me about whatever is bothering you, right?"

"Of course," I reply, a bit too quickly.

There is silence, then my mom speaks. "I'm coming in."

"What? No! I'm fine, it was just a—"

My mom opens the door.

"—nightmare," I whisper.

My mom takes a good long look at my face. I open my mouth to speak, but she cuts me off.

"I'm sorry for bothering you. I'm just worried about you. Let me know if you want to talk about anything, ok?" She walks out of my room, closing the door gently behind her.

I honestly have no clue why my mom didn't start screaming at my appearance, that is, until I glance in the mirror and realize I look perfectly normal. Well, technically my hair looks like a bird's nest, and I have more pimples than I'd care to admit, but, you know, relatively normal. I suppose looking normal again should make me feel better, but instead, it just makes me more nervous. _Being a few feet off when I teleport is one thing, but I don't feel in control of this blue thing at all! What if I turn blue in the middle of a math test, or worse, the televised football game tomorrow?_

I start freaking out even more when I realize that my bedroom is back to its normal temperature, and has been since I changed back to my normal form. Of course, being a generally cheerful person, I try to think of the positives._ Hmm, if this is my normal form, what should I call the blue one? My Smurf form? Ooh! I should call it my Avatar form! Yeah! The Na'vi are totally awesome!_

Still, despite daydreaming about random blue characters, it takes me awhile to fall back to sleep.

** AN: So I was planning on having two chapters between the Hydra attack and the next action chapter, but somehow it turned into four. Does it bother anyone that there is a lot of talking/ normal school activities instead of action?**

** Also, how do you like this chapter? I wasn't planning on having a whole chapter about Laura and her powers, and I'm worried it's kind of creepy/ depressing compared to other chapters. The next chapter will (hopefully) just be a short one where Anne and Laura talk, and the "sleepy vampire guy" finally manages to stay awake. Then action!**


	7. Hulks and Vampires

**Hulks and Vampires**

I groan as my stupid alarm clock goes off. Wearily, I get ready for the day. My thoughts keep drifting from my uncontrollable powers to my mom and back again, all the way until art class.

_Wait a minute, art class? Oh no! I've been so focused on myself that I haven't thought about what to say to Anne! _I realize as I sit down.

"Hey…" I say hesitantly.

"Hey." Anne mumbles.

I take a deep breath. "About yesterday…"

"It's ok, I know you don't want to sit here anymore," Ann whispers.

"What? No! Anne, I'm really sorry. I do want to sit next to you. I was just surprised when you told me yesterday, that's all. I should have told you that it doesn't matter what your powers are, because I can tell you're a nice person, and that's what matters. I totally want to sit here."

Ann looks up, a bit startled. "You mean that?"

I smile. "Yeah."

Anne gives a small smile. "I think you're nice too."

"Thanks," I reply, smiling again.

"I'm don't always know what to say either," Anne confesses. "It's just… the last friend I told about my… ability… was left speechless too. Then she never talked to me again."

I frown. "It doesn't sound like she was a very good friend then."

"Or I wasn't," Anne mumbles.

I feel bad that I caused Anne to worry so much, and even worse that her 'friend' was so uncaring. "Anne, you can't blame yourself for being born with powers. The only thing you can control is making sure to use them for good. And considering I've never heard about a second Hulk, it seems like you're doing a good job."

Anne smiles weakly. "Thanks."

"No problem. Hey, would you like to sit with me at the game tonight? I don't know anyone else in the band yet."

Anne's smile grows wider. "Sure!"

"How are you doing on your project, Laura?" our teacher asks, walking over.

I look down at my sloppy flower project, which is about three-fourths of the way done. "Ummmm…"

"How about you work on it some more, ok? You can talk when it's finished."

I nod my reply.

"Um, would you like some help with that?" Anne asks once the teacher has walked away.

I laugh. "If you think you _can_ help. I'm really terrible at drawing."

Anne studies my drawing. "It's not that bad." She grins mischievously. "I mean, I can tell they're _supposed _to be flowers."

I laugh. "Oh, great. I'm so glad you know they're _supposed_ to be flowers," I tease, sticking my tongue out. Anne giggles and makes a face. Laughing, I make a face back.

All too soon, the bell rings. The drawing I made is still rather sloppy, but I made something better: a friend.

I arrive at coding class feeling happy and energetic. Apparently I'm not the only one, as The Vampire is actually awake today! I take a second look and realize that he is not only awake, but also typing away at his computer like there's no tomorrow!

Just then, Vampire Teen notices me looking at him. "Oh… hi."

"Hi," I reply.

"Err, I don't think we've met," he replies, rubbing his hair. "What's your name?"

"Laura," I reply. "And you are?"

"Noah Bolton, how is your coding coming along?" our teacher asks.

The Vampire (or Noah, as I should now call him)'s shoulders slump. "Umm…"

The teacher frowns. "If you keep sleeping in class, I will have to inform the principal, which may result in your suspension. This is your warning."

"So yeah. I'm Noah," Noah replies as our teacher walks away. "Does she seem strict to you?" he asks, looking in the direction of our teacher, then back at me.

I pause for a moment as I think how best to answer this. "I mean, she expects everyone to learn stuff really quickly, or at least I think so. Still, she's pretty nice. And… umm… most people don't sleep in class…."

Noah sighs. "Yeah. I've been busy lately."

"Oh. Umm… maybe you should cut back on stuff? Like, if you don't want to fall asleep in class?"

Noah glares at me. "I can't."

"Oh. Sorry to hear that," I reply, a bit confused. My mom always told me that doing well in school was my main responsibility right now, and that, if being in too many clubs got in the way of that, I should cut back. I could understand if he just didn't care about school why he would spend his time doing other things, but I don't know what he means by "I can't cut back."

I consider asking him, except just then, the bell rings, and our teacher begins teaching. I spend most of the class desperately trying to understand coding, which is a lot harder since Joe isn't there, and Noah is too busy getting caught up with his own work to help me. It isn't until nearly the end of class that Joe walks in, mumbling something about missing his bus. I whisper a quick "That sucks," before returning my attention to coding. Except I needn't have bothered, since the bell rings, signaling the end of class.

The rest of the day passes rather quickly. Before I know it, it's time to go home and get ready for the game.

**AN: So I hope this chapter is alright. I kept re-writing the bit with Noah because it didn't feel right. Actually it still doesn't, but I want to get on to the next chapter.**

**Anyways, college starts back up for me on Monday, so I won't have as much time to write. My goal will be to update once a week, probably on Sunday.**

**The next chapter will have more action. I already thought of a name for it: "Loki, King of the Marching Band", so it should be… interesting :) **


	8. Not Your Average Football Game

**Not Your Average Football Game**

** AN: Yay! Reviews! Guest: Glad you like it :) A certain (cough) frost giant (cough) will get to know Laura soon, so stay tuned! **

I arrive at school with a swarm of butterflies in my stomach. I've barely practiced our pregame routine, yet it's going to be televised! All too soon, I find myself standing at the edge of the football field. I see reporters with cameras standing at the opposite side of the field, and I gulp.

Then our band director signals us to start, and we begin marching down the field. The first song goes well, and so does the second one. By the time we start playing the Alma Matter, I start to relax. That is, until I realize there is a cameraman walking through our band! I start to panic as I realize the cameraman is walking my way! He stops right in front of me, and I panic, playing all wrong notes of the song, which is now The Star Spangled Banner. _Wow. Captain America would be so proud,_ I think miserably. Fortunately, the cameraman soon walks away, and I am able to get in a few right notes in before the song is over. Still, I can't help feeling like I let the band down as we march to the bleachers.

Taking a seat in the clarinet section, I see Anne looking around for me. I wave her over and she smiles, sitting in front of me in the flute section and turning around to talk. "Hey," she smiles shyly.

"Hey," I reply.

"Did you see the cameraman walking around?" she asks.

"Yeah, he walked right in front of me."

"Me too! It was nerve-wracking!" Anne complains.

"Tell me about it," I reply, glad I'm not the only person that got scared.

The two of us talk a bit more, and I'm happy to discover that we like a lot of similar music, movies, and TV shows.

During a break in our conversation, I look around and discover that there are other people I know at the game. Sam is there, of course, since he is the quarterback of the football team.

Yet upon hearing a familiar voice, I look around and spot Joe cheering on the team with some friends, his shirtless chest sporting a red "B". His friends have other letters painted on their chests, which together spell "Cyborgs". It takes me a few seconds to notice this, however, since I don't want to look away from Joe's chest. He's more muscular than I realized, and with his brown hair getting ruffled by the breeze, he looks like a model.

Blushing, I look away, and see that Liberty is also here, selling popcorn for some student council fundraiser. Even Noah decided to show up, and is working at the concession stand.

All too soon, it comes time to march again. I look around nervously for the camera people, and am glad to find that they are all the way on the sidelines. I am even gladder that they remain there through the first three songs. _Just one more song to go!_ I mentally cheer, glad this stressful stuff is almost over.

We have just started the song, when I hear a bunch of people on the sidelines gasp. Out of the corner of my eye, I notice the sky looks strange, but I can't really see it without looking up. To do that, I'd have to break my Thousand Yard Stare, which is like a really important marching band thing.

Then I hear a loud BOOM! _What the hell?!_ Completely forgetting about keeping my eyes forward, I look skywards and gasp as well, BECAUSE THERE'S A FREEKIN' HOLE IN THE SKY! As I watch, the hole shrinks until it disappears. My fear, on the other hand, keeps growing larger and larger. Why, do you ask? Well, because I've seen the footage of the New York Attack on TV, so I know what it looked like when the portal opened up in the sky and aliens came out of it. AND THIS LOOKS EXACTLY THE SAME!

I feel a little better when the portal closes, since it means aliens are less likely to come through. I mean, yeah, I suppose the portal could be reopened or whatever, but at least nothing has come through yet… oh wait.

I look behind me to where I heard the boom. Standing at the far side of the field is some guy with really long black hair wearing some sort of green… OH SHIT! IT'S LOKI!

**AN: Sorry, this ended up being yet another chapter without action. I kind of rambled on about marching band like the band geek that I am. Anyways, this was a shorter chapter, so I might post another one this weekend. And there will be action! Loki has arrived, and this time, it will take all six of the students to take him down!**


	9. Loki, King of the Marching Band

**Loki, King of the Marching Band**

**AN: So… about that update… I'm really sorry, but I'm not sure how often I'll be able to update. My boss upped my hours at work, and I started writing for the school newspaper, and I'm going to college full-time, so yeah. It's only three weeks late… :(**

Loki stands up and calmly examines his surroundings. Our Marching Band, on the other hand, is doing the complete opposite. Everyone is screaming and running in all directions. As I watch, a terrified trumpet player collides with a stunned saxophone player, causing his squad, which is still in line formation, to topple over like dominos.

I think the saxophone player is stupid for just standing there. Then I realize I'm just standing there as well. And I'm standing next to Loki.

_Wait, what?!_

"Are you scared of me, mortal?" Loki asks, walking over to me.

I try to speak, but all I can manage is "Ummm…."

Loki grins evilly. "You should be." And with that, he teleports away.

I'm stunned. Stunned that Loki didn't kill me, and stunned that he can teleport. I thought his power was mind-controlling people. Just how many powers does he have?

I don't have time to wonder, as I realize Loki has joined my band director on his raised conducting platform on the sidelines. "Are you the leader of this pathetic mortal festival?" Loki sneers.

"Umm, y-yes?" my band director squeaks. I feel bad for him. He looks about ready to pee his pants.

Loki laughs in my band director's terrified face. "You are no leader! For now I, Loki of Azgard, am king!" And with that, Loki taps my band director on the chest with his staff, causing him to go from terrified to quietly obedient.

Loki laughs again. "How easy it will be to rule your realm! The Avengers have aged too much to stop me now, while I, being a god, have not. There is no one to stand in my way!"

"There's me," Liberty says. I realize that she has sprinted over to Loki from her fundraiser table, yet she isn't out of breath. I guess that Super Soldier Serum really works. Now if only I had some for gym class….

Anyways, I think Liberty is doing a good job of standing up to Loki. Unfortunately, Loki is not impressed. "Ha ha ha, you think you can stop me? You are even more pathetic than your father!"

Liberty glares at him. "I totally can."

"You and what army?" Loki jeers.

"Me!" Sam yells, running over as well. "I'm as strong as any army!"

Loki's grin fades, replaced by a glare. "I see you brag as much as your idiot father, Thor," Loki snarls.

"It's not bragging if it's true," Sam replies, causing both me and Loki to scowl at how annoying Sam is.

Just as Loki looks about ready to fight Sam, a guy in an Awesome Hoodie, who I now recognize as Joe, steps between them. "Dudes, chill. I brought the party!"

Loki and Sam just stare at Joe, obviously confused. Joe's shoulder's slump. "Aw man! I thought that was a cool catchphrase. Come on, no one liked that?"

"I would like for you to get out of my way, useless mortal!" Loki snaps.

"Alright, alright," Joe grumbles, walking away while notching an arrow on his bow.

I barely have time to worry about Joe getting hurt, when I see the guy with the Ironman-like helmet and gloves come running over. Unlike the other three, this teen appears out of breath, and his helmet is crooked like he put it on in a hurry. He starts to speak, but his voice is muffled by his helmet. Upon realizing this, the teen crosses his arms angrily in Loki's direction, making his intention clear that he wants to fight Loki as well.

Loki is about to start fighting them, when a fifth teen jogs over, and OH MY GOSH, IT'S ANNE!

"I won't let you hurt anyone," Anne announces, her voice shaking slightly.

Loki laughs evilly. "A Hulk-ling. How amusing. And how easy to destroy!"

"ANNE!" I yell, sprinting across the field. For some reason, I just realized that while my classmates were preparing to risk their lives protecting the school, I was just standing there. But when shy, sensitive Anne decided to risk her life, I finally realized how selfish I was being.

I am halfway across the field before I realize that the TV reporters have stayed, and their cameras are now focused on Loki and the teenagers about to fight him. I notice Joe and the Iron Teen's faces are covered by their hood and mask, and Anne has her Marching Band hat pulled down to just above her eyes. Not wanting other supervillains to recognize me, I pull my hat down as well.

I return my attention to Loki and realize, with a panic, that he looks about ready to fight Anne! Putting on an extra burst of speed, I sprint the last few feet over to them.

"I VOLUNTEER AS TRIBUTE!" I shout, shoving myself between Anne and Loki without really thinking. The next second, I realize how incredibly stupid I sound quoting The Hunger Games. Then the next second, I'm screaming in pain, as Loki had just fired a bolt of blue magic out of his scepter, and it struck my right shoulder!

Howling in pain and cussing, I teleport behind the bleachers without really thinking about it. I groan as I clutch my shoulder. Waves of hot and cold seem to be rolling over it, and I vaguely wonder if it's broken.

Yet I nearly forget about my shoulder when I hear Anne yell. "You hurt my friend!" she screams at Loki. "No one hurts my friends!" Anne starts shaking… no… TRANSFORMING!" I gasp as I realize she got angry enough to transform into her Hulk form!

Anne's Hulk form looks smaller than Bruce's, at least I think it is. I've never seen The Hulk in person, but judging by Anne's clothing, she hasn't grown as much. While her band uniform now has some holes (which I'm sure our band director will be thrilled to fix), her clothing hasn't completely fallen off like Bruce's. Still, her green skin and unnaturally angry face show that she is definitely a Hulk.

"RAAAAAAAWR!" Anne yells, charging at Loki. Loki laughs. "You Hulks are like my brother, Thor. Strong, but with no brains." And with that, Loki taps Anne on the chest with his staff, causing her to abruptly change directions, this time charging at the other super-teens!

Sam and Liberty, being the strongest of the teens, move to block the others, fending off Anne's punches and kicks with their own. Unfortunately, Anne appears to be slightly stronger than them, and is slowly pushing the two of them back.

"I'VE GOT THIS!" Sam yells, raising his talisman up to the sky.

"SAM, NO!" Liberty yells back, out of concern for Anne.

Unfortunately, she need not have worried. The bolt of lightning doesn't seem to hurt Anne much, only make her angrier.

"Whoa. First time my bolts didn't stop someone. That's a shocker," Sam mumbles, his eyelids fluttering shut as he faints, leaving a tired Liberty to continue fending off Anne by herself.

Meanwhile, Joe, aka G Wiz, is aiming his bow at Loki, while the Iron Teen is running towards Loki. Loki, upon noticing what they're up to, smirks. Suddenly, the entire football field is full of Loki's! Iron Teen stops running and looks around, confused. G Wiz, who is not as easily deterred, fires an arrow at one of the Loki's. The arrow flies straight to the Loki… and passes right through.

Upon noticing this, the Iron Teen looks around carefully at the Loki's for a few seconds, before, appearing confident in his decision, he fires a bolt of energy at a Loki. The bolt of energy doesn't quite go where the teen was aiming, perhaps because his gloves still aren't working right, but the edge of the beam catches the Loki, or rather, passes right through him, since it's another fake Loki.

G Wiz doesn't even attempt to find out which Loki is real, he is just shooting arrows at every Loki he sees. While he aims right at every single one, all his arrows pass through, since those Loki's are all illusions.

G Wiz lets out a groan of despair. I feel like groaning right along with him. Because why, when it's obvious that all the Loki's are shimmery but one, would he aim at all the other Loki's?

I watch as the Iron Teen attempts to blast yet another fake Loki, when, with a shock, I realize that they can't see the shimmers! Why I didn't realize that right away, I don't know. Maybe because of the pain from my arm… but there is no pain!

I realize that the pain has vanished, replaced by a sort of cold numbness. Relived, I let out a breath that I didn't realize I'd been holding in. A breath that turns into snowflakes.

Confused, I cup my hand to my mouth to see how cold my breath is, then gasp, because my hands are blue!

I temporarily freak out because I think I have frostbite, before remembering it's only the last week of August and sixty degrees out. Besides, the blue thing happened before in my room.

The snowflake thing is new though. I breathe out again, hoping to cause more snowflakes, but nothing happens. Other than, you know, breathing.

I really want to breathe snowflakes again though. Concentrating on how I felt when I made snowflakes, I remember the cool relief I felt in my shoulder, feel it numbing my arm… and see snowflakes coming out of my hands! Why they're coming out of my hands now instead of my mouth, I have no idea.

A scream jolts me out of my snowflake musing. Liberty is losing her fight against Anne. My shoulder throbs, and I realize that I've changed back to my normal form.

Since I don't want to hurt my best friend, I decide to go after the person who is hypnotizing her: Loki. I teleport to right in front of the real Loki, hoping to catch him off guard. Loki doesn't flinch, but I glimpse with satisfaction a slight intake of breath that proves he is, in fact, surprised, just hiding his surprise well.

"Why, if it isn't the mortal who fears to speak in my presence," Loki sneers, having entirely regained his calm, composed look.

"I'm not afraid of you," I say, surprising myself by actually sounding brave.

Loki laughs. "It matters not. There is nothing you can do to stop me, pathetic mortal!"

"That's where you're wrong," I reply. I can feel an icy pressure building in my body. Don't ask me to explain better, because I can't. I just know that the next time I try to freeze something, there'll be more than just a few snowflakes.

"It'll take more than a little teleporting to best me," Loki smirks.

"Wasn't planning on it," I smirk back, then release the pressure.

Instantly, beams of ice shoot out of my hands straight for Loki. I wasn't expecting there to be that much ice, so I let loose a scream, afraid that I've killed Loki. Yet what actually happens is even more surprising. Loki is remains standing, but his skin has changed to a frosty blue, with red eyes that are like, well, my red eyes.

"You have a Smurf form too?" I ask, before realizing how stupid I sound.

"HOW DARE YOU SPEAK TO ME THIS WAY!" Loki bellows. His blue skin fades along with his smirk. "BY WHAT MEANS DO YOU HAVE A JOTUN FORM?!"

"What's a Joe-ton?" I ask, completely mispronouncing the word. I randomly find myself picturing a ton of shirtless Joes, and only Loki angrily stomping over to me brings me back to reality.

"HOW DID YOU COME TO THIS REALM?" he asks, grabbing hold of my already-hurting shoulder.

"What do you mean? I live here—OWW!" I yell as my shoulder throbs.

"WHO ARE YOUR PARENTS?!" he demands, not caring about my pain.

"Just my mom and… some guy. I don't know. I never met him. OWW! LET GO OF ME!" I yell, trying to hit Loki.

Loki pales when I tell him about my parents. When he speaks next, his voice is barely a whisper. "You will come with me."

"I'M NOT GOING WITH YOU ANYWHERE!" I yell. I attempt to teleport, but because Loki has ahold of my arm, he ends up coming with me.

Desperately, I look around for support. I see Joe sprinting my way, but he's too late. Loki raises his scepter to the sky, and the two of us disappear.

**AN: I hope this long chapter was worth the wait. My goal is still to update every week, but with the craziness of switching majors and working a bunch, we'll see how that goes.**


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